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By Pat McCaughan

[The Episcopal News – November 4, 2020] Delegates to the upcoming Nov. 14 – 15 diocesan convention will be asked to ratify a $6 million budget for 2021, representing severe cuts to diocesan ministries and a 13% overall reduction from the previous year.

Members of Diocesan Council, meeting virtually Oct. 29, approved the $5.99 million budget, a decrease of nearly one million dollars, from $6.89 million in 2020. Once the Corporation of the Diocese approves the use of $894,921 of remaining unrestricted savings held in DIT, it will be presented to the diocese’s first-ever virtual convention for approval.

Canon Andy Tomat, diocesan treasurer, said reduced congregational giving to the Mission Share Fund (MSF), along with a decline in available capital funds through Corp Sole and the Corporation of the Diocese, forced the cuts.

The budget was balanced, as required by canon, through identification of unrestricted funds held by the Corporation of the Diocese as well as income generated by restricted Corp Sole funds. Corporation directors will have to approve the draw from its coffers.

Read more here.

The time is drawing near for the Bishop’s Gala, a virtual celebration and fundraiser featuring Presiding Bishop Michael Curry as keynoter on Saturday Nov. 7 at 6 p.m.

Emmy-winning film and television actor Bradley Whitford (pictured at left) will introduce Bishop Curry. Whitford, a parishioner of All Saints Church in Pasadena, has performed in many TV series, including "The West Wing," "Trophy Wife," "The Handmaid's Tale” and “Transparent.” Most recently he starred in the NBC comedy “Perfect Harmony.”

A secure website, www.bishopsgala.org, is now live for donations. While there is no charge to view the virtual event online, generous contributions are requested to benefit diocesan programs including Bloy House, the Episcopal Theological School at Los Angeles.

Bishop John Harvey Taylor invites all in the diocese to join the event by logging in via the diocesan YouTube channel and Facebook page; please note the corrected start time of 6 p.m. Registration is not necessary to view the event on either platform, but those who register will be able to donate and receive event-related messages.

“One of the most important voices in 21st century Christianity, Bishop Curry will be the guest of the whole Diocese of Los Angeles, inviting his listeners along the way of love just four days after the historic 2020 elections,” Taylor said, referencing Curry’s initiative for prayer and service. “More than ever, your support is needed and appreciated as – in this time together as a diocesan family, and in all the work we do – we continue to devote ourselves to glorifying God and caring for God’s people.”

Donors of $200 or more will receive an autographed copy of Curry’s new book, Love Is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times.

Inquiries about the gala, including sponsorship opportunities, may be emailed to Canon Kathy O’Connor, volunteer coordinator, at [email protected].

Members of the diocesan staff, including those currently working from home due to pandemic restrictions, will be off duty on Wednesday, Nov. 11. St. Paul's Commons also will be closed.

The Resource Roundup and Episcopal News Update will be published that week on the usual schedule.

In addition, diocesan offices will be closed Thursday and Friday, Nov. 26 - 27, for the Thanksgiving holiday; on Thursday and Friday, Dec. 24 and 25, for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day; and on Thursday and Friday, Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

The Resource Roundup and Update will be on hiatus during the week of Thanksgiving, and the weeks of Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Publication will resume Jan. 5 and 6. Those planning January events are encouraged to send information to [email protected] as soon as possible for advance notices before the holidays.

Assisting Southland congregations and individuals hardest hit by the COVID-19 crisis, four new grants from the One Body & One Spirit Emergency Appeal Fund have been awarded by the Corporation of the Diocese, which has announced Nov. 13 as the application deadline for the next round of grants. Application procedures are online here.

As reviewed by the diocesan Special Committee on Incorporation of Parishes and Admission of Missions prior to consideration by the Corporation at its September and October meetings, new grants range from $5,000 to $7,500 and have been awarded to:

The Corporation of the Diocese has made a total of 18 grants to date from contributions that last week reached a total of $200,000. Contributions to the fund may be made here, and video reports of “Grants in Action” are here.

By Pat McCaughan

[The Episcopal News – November 2, 2020] The Food Share ministry at All Saints Church in Riverside is so much more than just a place for “James” to receive free fresh vegetables, fruits and dairy products on Thursday mornings, no questions asked.

For 49-year-old James, who is homeless, the church and its volunteers represent a lifeline, a place of welcome, comfort and care—and no judgment. “This is one of the last decent places around,” says James, who arrives by bicycle about 7:30 a.m., as nearly 150 cars began to line both sides of Terracina Drive in anticipation of the ministry’s 9 a.m. opening.

Life’s hard knocks forced him into homelessness a few years ago, James told the Episcopal News. “I got hurt at work,” he recalled. ‘My parents were dead. I was alone. I was living in my recreational vehicle awhile. Then it broke down and caught on fire.”

Turning to Andrea Briggs, the church’s minister for community engagement, he wonders if there are eggs, or cheese available, whatever he can carry with him on the bike.

Immediately, she offers the contents of a food box.

“We’re not asking any questions, or making anyone fill out forms, or show identification or any of those things,” Briggs said. “I’m expecting that the people who come to the church for food are getting kicked around in a lot of places and we just aren’t going to do that.”

Briggs organizes and oversees dozens of volunteers who weekly pick up, transport, unload and offer contactless distribution of more than 600 boxes of fresh food as well as other donated items.

Read more here.

Delegates to Diocesan Convention who aren’t sure what to expect will have an opportunity for a practice session to be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday Nov. 7. The event will include a test run at using the electronic voting system. The Zoom link for participation will be emailed directly to registered delegates and congregations.

Several additional online forums will be provided for discussing aspects of the convention. Clergy, delegates and all interested members of the diocesan community are invited to participate.

Secretary of Convention Steve Nishibayashi and Samantha Wylie, convention coordinator, offer weekly question-and-answer sessions. Log-in is here.

The Rev. Canon Kelli Grace Kurtz, chair of the Program Group on Mission Congregations, will offer a discussion of the proposed canonical change affecting representation for non-traditional worshipping communities in the diocese. To register (in advance), click here. Text of the proposed change is here.

With Canon Andy Tomat, treasurer, and the Rev. Michele Racusin, chief financial officer. To register (in advance), click here.

The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers, canon to Presiding Bishop Michael Curry for Evangelism, Reconciliation and Stewardship of Creation, will preach at the Sunday, Nov. 15 virtual Eucharist that will conclude this year’s online Diocesan Convention, “Servants of the Spirit.” Read more here.

With the Diocese of Los Angeles’s Nov. 14 - 15 virtual 125th annual meeting just a few weeks away, St. Paul’s Commons in Echo Park is beginning to look and feel a lot like convention. Read more here.

Since convention delegates and visitors can't walk into a convention center hall this year to visit exhibits from ministries, services, institutions, spirituality and education providers and the wider church, convention coordinator Samantha Wylie is bringing the exhibits to them online. Read more about exhibit hall and the newest additions here.

The Episcopal News recently published a series of articles about the councils, boards and committees for which Diocesan Convention will elect members. Those interested in running for any of these offices will find nomination information and forms at the convention website here.

Articles in the series are on the Episcopal News website or at the links below:

The Episcopal Community Federal Credit Union will hold its 2020 annual meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 17, according to board chair Dan Valdez. Credit Union members are invited to attend the virtual meeting. To register, email to [email protected]; log-in information will be provided.

"My Work to Do," an online affinity group designed to help white men and women build stamina for discussing racism, systemic injustice, racial healing, reconciliation, and justice in their everyday lives, is planning new sessions and invites members of the Diocese of Los Angeles to participate.

"We invite those feeling lost or overwhelmed into the conversation," says Canon Suzanne Edwards-Acton, project founder, "especially white people who might not have a local anti-racism program or accessible discussion happening in their lives." The initial program is a five-week session, with one 1.5-hour online meeting per week at which participants will discuss such topics as housing discrimination, implicit bias, whiteness as a function, and systems of white supremacy — and where to go from here.

To learn more and to register for upcoming sessions, visit the website here. For more resources see “Countering Racism, Building Community” here.

Blood supplies are critically low in California, and congregations in the Diocese of Los Angeles have stepped up to help replenish them. Currently scheduled blood drives are listed below.

Donors may save up to 15 minutes by completing pre-donation reading and answering health history questions here, rather than filling out forms on the day of donation.

All donors and staff will be screened before entering the facilities.

Christ Episcopal Church

1127 N. San Antonio Avenue, Ontario 91762

Register here or call 1-800-RED-CROSS

Sponsor code: CCPOntario

By appointment only. Donors must be healthy and be able to show identification. Christ Church will host additional blood drives on Thursday, Dec. 10 and Monday, Jan. 4.

St. Alban’s Episcopal Church

12692 Fifth Street, Yucaipa 92399

Sign up here

Sponsor code: ST ALBANS

St. Alban's will host a blood drive on the following Tuesdays: December 29, January 26, February 23; continuing on fourth Tuesdays through August 2021.

By David Paulsen

[Episcopal News Service - November 4, 2020] As Americans woke on Nov. 4 with the outcome of the presidential election far from decided, Episcopal leaders called for prayer and patience as the process unfolds over the coming days and weeks.

The incoming results from several key battleground states still could tip the Nov. 3 election either toward President Donald Trump or former Vice President Joe Biden, especially as election officials work to finish counting the large volume of absentee and mail-in ballots, driven to record levels by the coronavirus pandemic.

The remaining uncertainty adds to an already tense political climate. Washington National Cathedral, which on Nov. 1 had hosted a pre-election online interfaith service featuring Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, followed up the day after the election with a noon-hour “Service of Healing, Unity and Hope After an Election.”

“The campaigning is done. The votes have been cast. And now we wait for our democratic process to fulfill itself; and during that time, as people of faith, we gather to pray,” the Very Rev. Randy Hollerith, dean of the cathedral, said at the beginning of the service.

Read more here.

St. Luke's Church

525 E. 7th Street, Long Beach

Information here

Reservations: [email protected]

The center, now in its 34th season, brings medieval history alive as it offers the art of brass rubbing to youth as an enhancement to on-line learning and to adults as a delightfully unusual outing. The event will this year be held outside; all Covid 19 safety measures of social distancing and masks will be observed. Each presentation is 90 minutes of learning about medieval times, knights' armor, and ladies' fashion, and making art to take home. The price is $8 per person, which includes all materials. Reservations are required for all groups Tuesdays - Fridays; presentation times are 9 a.m., 11 a.m., and 1 p.m.. Saturday hours are 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. with no reservation for individuals. The center is closed on Sunday and Monday.

St. James in-the-City Church, Los Angeles

Live-streamed and on demand here

Center for Spirituality in Ontario

Information here

Enrollment: Ashanti Smalls, [email protected]

A series of interactive online meetings using Matthew Fox’s book Original Blessing as the springboard for exploration and reflection. The series, which began Oct. 12, is for persons of any age or walk of life, who share an interest in processing their inner journeys. Participants may join at any point, though regular participation is presumed. Sessions are led by the Rev. Gianluigi Gugliermetto, director of the Center for Spirituality. Suggested donation is $7 per session.

Center for Spirituality in Ontario

A four-session virtual discussion of the revolutionary meaning of the Gospel birth narratives, led by Jim Dunkly, Ph.D., and the Rev. Gianluigi Gugliermetto, Ph.D. Suggested donation is $100. To enroll, contact Ashanti Smalls at [email protected]. For more information, visit the center's website here.

St. Matthew's Church, Pacific Palisades

Registration here (registration deadline is 9 a.m. on Nov. 5)

In this free webinar, Bishop Taylor will reflect on the intersection of faith and politics in his life and in the life of the diocese as a family of faith journeying forward together in the wake of the election. Before he entered the ordained ministry, Taylor was a chief of staff to former President Richard Nixon and director of the Nixon Library. All are welcome, but advance registration is required.

Information/Donation link here

The Most Rev. Michael Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, will be the keynote speaker at the virtual Bishop’s Gala fundraiser. All are welcome, though online contributions are requested to benefit diocesan programs including Bloy House, the Episcopal Theological School at Los Angeles. The gala will be available for viewing via the diocesan YouTube channel and Facebook page.

Holy Trinity Church

100 N. Third Avenue, Covina 91723

Log-in information: 626.967.3939 or email [email protected]

Featuring live instrumental and pre-recorded choral music.

St. John's Cathedral

Information/Registration here

Participants will be invited to Zoom in to a special performance by Cathedral musicians. More information is in this video with Christopher Gravis, canon for music and cathedral arts.

Streaming here (Facebook) and here (YouTube).

Clergy and registered delegates will receive instructions directly from the Secretary of Convention. All others are welcome to view the proceedings at the links above. For more about the convention, visit its website.

Streaming here (Facebook) and here (YouTube)

Convention will conclude with this diocese-wide service. Bishop John Harvey Taylor will preside: the preacher will be the Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers, canon to the Presiding Bishop for Evangelism, Reconciliation and Stewardship of Creation (read more here). All in the diocese are invited and encouraged to view the service.

September 2022

Join Bishop Guy Erwin of the ELCA and Canon Jim Newman of the Episcopal Church for a 13-day journey across central Europe to Oberammergau, Germany. The day-long Oberammergau Passion Play is produced every decade and is a four-century “thank you” to God for saving the people of this picturesque Bavarian Alpine village. Experience this spiritual event and look at the culture and religion of Poland (Warsaw, Krakow, Auschwitz and Czestochowa), Hungary (Budapest), Czech Republic (Bratislava), Austria (Vienna & the Salzkammergut) and Germany (Oberammergau & Munich). Cost is $4,899 from Los Angeles including $450 taxes/airline surcharges.) Information: Jim Newman, 3590 Grand View Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90066; 310.391.5522 or 888.802.6722; [email protected]. A full itinerary is here. (Please note the date change. The Passion Play was postponed for two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.)

LOS ANGELES: Associate for Formation and Transition. The Diocese of Los Angeles is seeking an experienced bilingual (English-Spanish) priest who shares a passion for discernment and formation, and the process needed for that work. The person called will work as an integral member of the ministry team in the office and will work with both clergy and lay leaders across all the congregations and ministries of the diocese. A full job description and application instructions are here.

Current job listings for laypersons in the Diocese of Los Angeles are here. Listings are free: send information to [email protected]. Applications for jobs must be sent to the contact included in the listing.